


Sacrifice is the Winchester Way

by aidail



Series: My Apocalypse [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Also a rubber duck, Gabriel (Supernatural) is Loki, Gabriel Lives, Human Sacrifice, Stone alter because why not, Trickster Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 00:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11429472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidail/pseuds/aidail
Summary: Sam's been caught. Again. And sacrificed. Again.Basically, Sam wondering why this is his life and what else could go wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

Sam kept his eyes closed and his body still as he regained consciousness, already going through his checklist. It was kind of depressing really. He’d been knocked unconscious and woken up tied up often enough that he had a check list for this kind of thing. But that was just the kind of life he lead and complaining about it wasn’t going to get him out of this any faster. So. 

Injuries. That was priority. Not just because he needed to know whether he was going to be bleeding out sometime soon. He needed to know what he could move and how quickly he could move it. No point springing himself if he tried to jump up only to find he was walking on a broken leg. And it was surprising how one pain could mask another. You might think the broken leg would be obvious, but not if you were too busy focusing on the gushing stab wound. So, injuries first. He did a quick mental scan, tensed some things, but other than a dull pain in his head, there was nothing wrong. That was unusual. 

Next. Hands. Together or apart? Damn. He was laying spread-eagled, hands and feet bound. They’d taken his shoes, which was annoying. And with his hands separated, there was no wiggle room in the ropes, no space to clench and unclench his fists to create a little give. That made things harder. 

Third, metal or rope? He flexed a little and noticed the rub of hemp rather than the cold bite of metal. That was good. Rope was easier to break, it could fray and tear. He could feel something that felt like stone beneath him, and he tilted his head just a fraction and opened his eyes to note he was stretched out over a large rock. His hands were bound by what looked like rock climbing hooks hammered into the rock. That was the best news yet. He could work those free and the rock gave enough friction to rub the rope on. 

Alright, now that he’d taken a personal inventory, he could turn his attention to the threats around him. Some might argue he should have done that first. But long experience had told him that it was better to know his situation and what he had to work with before he gave his attention over to outside forces. It helped keep him calm and levelheaded. Sometimes it was hard to remember to check the basics when you were confronted with something covered in your blood waiting to eat you. Best to deal with the practicalities first. 

The other problem with taking notice of the things around you, is that inevitably, they noticed you back. As Sam moved his head to look around him, three people turned to look at him. He was in a clearing outside, which made the rock make more sense. The air was cool against his skin and he belatedly realised his shirt was gone. A quick check reassured him that his jeans were still in place. He breathed a small sigh of relief at that. So spread-eagled on a rock in the middle of the woods half naked. This was new. He was thankful it was May. This would have sucked in January.

The three figures were wearing hoods and cloaks and something about them seemed vaguely familiar to Sam. They looked human, but most things did. He couldn’t see their faces, and after noticing he was conscious, they turned back to ignoring him. They were whispering to each other, and looked like they were arguing. 

Sam wasn’t gagged, but he felt it was better to wait and see what was going on before he started shooting off his mouth. It was one of the ways he was better at handling these situations that Dean. His brother had a bad habit of mouthing off when he should be keeping his trap shut. Though Sam had to admit, he managed to talk his way out of a lot, he also ended up getting beaten up a lot more. 

Finally the three figures broke apart, and one shoved a knife at their companion with a hiss. That definitely got Sam’s attention. The one with the knife moved over to another, smaller rock that had several things scattered across it. Sam couldn’t see them very well in the dark from this angle. There was only moonlight to illuminate the scene. But then the figure snapped on a flashlight, pointing it down at a book spread across the rock. From this distance, Sam couldn’t read it, but it looked an awful lot like some of their lore books. So probably real deal then. 

There were some herbs, a pile of candy and for some odd reason, a rubber duck. That last one threw Sam. He decided not to worry about it too much as he watched the one with the knife throwing things into a bowl. The figure kept looking over at Sam, and it was making the hunter uneasy as they finally walked back towards the other two and started gesturing to Sam again. 

The one with the knife walked back to the altar - it could only be called an altar at this point - while a second one ducked out of sight. They weren’t gone long, and when they came back, they had a cloth in their hands. Sam realised what they were going to do about five seconds too late as they came towards him and pulled a hood over his face. He struggled a bit, but when he heard them back off and no one coming closer, he focused on keeping his breathing steady so he could hear what was going on. 

That was weird. Because if Sam had to guess it was almost like he made them…nervous. Like being stared at made them uncomfortable. Which sure, the Winchesters had made themselves a name in the hunting community. After Lucifer and the apocalypse, and Crowley, most demons knew them by site. And they ran into the occasional monster who booked it when they realised they were dealing with Sam and Dean Winchester. But he was tied up to a rock right now. Even he wasn’t optimistic there was much he could do at this point. 

With his sight impaired, he settled for listening. He’d been subtly working to loosen his bonds carefully while he’d been taking everything in, but he stopped that in favor of focusing when someone started chanting. It didn’t take more than a few lines for Sam to realize this was the real deal. They were trying to summon something. And suddenly his state made a lot more sense. He was the sacrifice. That was not a comforting thought. 

A few more moments though and Sam felt a pang of guilt go through him, and his anxiety lessened considerably. Because he recognized this ritual, or at least enough of it that he knew who they were trying to summon. They were trying to call Loki. 

Sam didn’t know what would happen when they realised he wasn’t going to show up. He couldn’t. He was dead. Loki aka the Trickster aka Gabriel had died helping Sam and Dean escape the devil years ago. The wave of guilt that swept over him was accompanied by a touch of wry amusement. That at least explained the candy. Also probably the duck. Sam wouldn’t put it above the Trickster to have designed his own rituals. 

Knowing that what they were trying was impossible, Sam refocused back on escape. He didn’t need to worry about a blood thirsty pagan god showing up to take whatever it was they wanted from their sacrifice, so Sam felt justified in relaxing a little. That was until he felt a sudden wave of power wash over the clearing and he heard a familiar voice.


	2. Chapter 2

“Surprise.” Loki said smugly, taking a moment to bask in the attention.   
The three humans were all dressed up, with masks and everything. It was adorable really. But even with the masks, he could sense the shock and awe in their postures and he smiled to himself. Yes, this is exactly what he’d needed tonight. Have a little fun, put on a bit of a show, bask in the adoration. So worth getting out of bed for. 

One of them moved towards him, still holding the bloody knife. He winced a little at that. Idiot had cut across his hand like a noob. Even novices knew you cut the muscle across your arm. Hands were delicate and too fragile, even a shallow cut could do serious damage. 

The three gathered in front of him and he spread his arms theatrically.  
“So, what’ve you got?” He asked, amused.   
They whispered and nudged each other.  
“Umm, we ah, we were hoping that you could..I mean if it’s ok, um” They stammed.   
Loki rolled his eyes.   
“Spit it out. You all want something right?” He said impatiently.   
So maybe shock and awe weren’t all they were cracked up to be. 

“I want to go to Harvard.” One said, suddenly stepping forward. The voice was female, and Loki looked at her with interest.   
“Okaaay, who else?” He asked.   
“Umm, I wanna be famous, like a rock star or something.” Another asked timidly, male this time. Loki rolled his eyes. Boring.   
“And you?” He asked the third one, the one who’d bled for him.   
“My mum…she’s sick.” He said answered uneasily. 

Loki got lots of petitions for money, or fame, or yes even good grades. You’d be surprised how many teenagers turned to the black arts to keep from flunking history class. And who couldn’t appreciate the irony in that? But occasionally someone would ask for help, real help, like this boy and those were the ones he paid attention to. But they still needed to play the game. 

“Alright kids, what’d you bring me?” He asked, still smirking.   
Because they were undoubtedly kids.   
The three of them parted and for the first time Loki turned his attention to the rest of the clearing and saw…oh. Oh wow. These kids weren’t messing around. 

There, spread out on a rock, like the days of old was a bona fide sacrifice. Loki had to mentally smack himself not to ogle. The man was perfect. He couldn’t see a face, they’d tossed some kind of mask over him. But what Loki could see was making his mouth water. He didn’t really go for human sacrifice. And he shouldn’t be making exceptions now. Even if he was tempted, because holy hell that man was gorgeous. But he liked his bed partners willing, preferably enthusiastic. He knew he was going to let the guy go. But he could have a little fun with the hapless mortal. After all, he’d been captured by a bunch of teenagers. He deserved a little humiliation, right? 

So Loki sauntered over to the struggling figure. Because he was struggling, if subtly and Loki wondered vaguely what kind of person would be in this situation and not screaming their heads off. Even the willing ones tended to make some noise, losing their nerve when the real deal showed up. The man stilled instantly as he sat on the rock beside them and trailed fingers gently down their chest from neck to waist, making the hard muscles jump under his hand. He smirked to himself. 

“Get your hands off me, Gabriel.” Came a muffled voice. 

It wiped the smile right off his face. There were very few people who knew his real name. Most of them were dead. And only two of them were human. Loki leaned over and snatched the hood off to reveal a very angry Winchester glaring at him. Well crap.   
“Sam?” He could help questioning, stunned.   
Because what on earth was the hunter doing here?   
“Loki.” Sam replied ironically, both well aware the name was a fake. 

“Do you two know each other?” Came the female voice from behind them.   
Apparently the potential for drama overcame their fear of the pagan god they’d just summoned.   
“Shut up.” They both replied in unison.   
“You gonna untie me?” Sam asked, annoyed.  
“You gonna stab me again?” Gabriel snapped back.   
He wasn’t expecting Sam to wince, or the sudden guilt in his eyes. It was enough of a surprise that he actually did snap, vanishing the ropes. Sam sat up cautiously, rubbing at where the rope had chafed. And then, just because he was such a good guy, Gabriel reached over absently and lay two fingers on Sam’s forehead, healing him.

“What was that for?” Sam asked, slightly confused. It was the first time he’d ever seen Gabriel do anything remotely angely. Gabriel just shrugged.   
“Why not?”  
They both stared at each other awkwardly. They were sitting barely a foot apart, but neither of them made to move. Something flickered over Sam’s face, and he was the first to break the silence. 

“You’re supposed to be dead.” Sam said softly, barely containing his anger.  
“Had to make it look good.” Gabriel replied with a wink.  
“That was another trick?” Sam asked, vaguely horrified.   
“What, you think I was just gonna waltz in there without a back up plan? Please.” Gabriel admonished. Sam eyes flashed with anger.   
“So you just left us to deal with Lucifer?” Sam growled.  
“Hey, look kid I did my bit.” Gabriel replied, an edge to his tone now. “I told you I wasn’t going to fight them. And you did just fine on your own.” 

“Oh yeh, I did great. Got myself tossed into the cage. That was loads of fun.” Sam snapped sarcastically. Gabriel winced a little but refused to back down.   
“Well that didn’t stick did it?” The archangel said. “Besides what did you expect me to do?”  
“You could have at least told us you were alive.” Sam said stubbornly.   
“Why, so you could drag me back in? No thank you.” Gabriel mocked.   
“So I didn’t have to feel so guilty.” Sam snapped, his tone hard.  
He looked away angrily, already regretting his outburst. He hadn’t meant to admit that. Gabriel watched him carefully, some of the edge gone out of his own voice when he replied.   
“Why would you care?” The archangel asked, curious. “You hate me.”  
“Because it was my fault!” Sam exclaimed. “Everything Lucifer did was my fault.”

Gabriel stared at the human, completely taken aback.   
“Whoa, kiddo, that’s one hell of a complex you got.” Gabriel mocked.  
“He made me watch you know. I thought it was my fault and he made me watch over and over.” Sam said, livid.   
“And I didn’t hate you.” He added quietly.   
Gabriel flinched. Ok that was a bit unfair. But he’d had no idea the hunter would take it so badly.   
“Look, Sam.” He started, dropping the mocking façade, just for a moment. “It wasn’t your fault alright? If you saw all that then you know what I said. No one makes us do anything.”  
Sam stared at him before dropping his gaze, expression still angry.   
“Yeh, well I guess it doesn’t matter since you’re apparently fine.” Sam muttered before rounding on the angel again. 

“So this is what you do now? Human sacrifice?” Sam accused.   
Another time Gabriel might have slammed the hunter just for the judgment in his tone. But he’d heard the guilt and sadness under all that anger, and Gabriel felt just a tinge of regret. So he was much calmer than he wanted to be as he explained.   
“This? This is my day job. Little mojo here, replace demon-summoning rituals with a few of my own. Desperate people turn to the magic, they get me instead of one of your buddy Crowley’s goons.” Gabriel explained shortly.   
Sam stared back at him, some of that anger leeching out of his expression, looking more and more like a confused puppy.   
“Wait, so you’re helping people instead of demons? What do you get out of it?” Sam asked suspiciously.   
Gabriel couldn’t help but wink. 

“Well apparently I get you.” He said, deliberately dropping his gaze to check out Sam’s naked torso. He laughed when the hunter protested and squirmed uncomfortably.   
“Don’t worry kid. I was planning on letting you go anyways. I’m all about the consent.” Gabriel reassured him.   
“So you’re telling me you’re actually helping people? And no more murders?” Sam asked.   
Gabriel shrugged, nodding.   
“I don’t need as many disguises anymore with my brothers gone.” He admitted, hiding the sadness as he was once again reminded that he was alone, the last archangel not currently dead, insane, incarcerated or both  
.   
“And I guess it stopped being as much fun.” He added, not wanting to explain that seeing Lucifer, his rage and hopelessness had been too close a reflection. He might never have gone in for wholesale slaughter, but he had to admit, throwing deadbeats under the bus had been as much a temper tantrum as Lucifer’s plan to wipe out humanity. 

Sam was studying him with renewed interest.   
“You know, you could stop hiding.” Sam said slowly.   
Gabriel immediately shook his head.   
“Oh no. I’m staying out of it. Been doing just fine staying under the radar. Till someone had to go and get themselves caught.”   
Gabriel suddenly grinned at him.   
“So how did a few teenagers catch the great Sam Winchester?” Gabriel asked, amused. 

“Teenagers?” Sam asked, confused. Gabriel nodded, delighted.   
“Yup.”   
The archangel turned his attention to the three figures who had been standing there, awkwardly, as they watched what they’d thought was their divine saviour chat with their captive like they were old friends.   
“Why don’t you ditch the robes?” Gabriel said gesturing. Then he snapped impatiently revealing three ordinary teenagers. 

The girl was tiny, barely five feet tall and blonde, with glasses that took up most of her face, and she was staring between the two like she was watching a tennis match. The boy with the knife was tall, at least six foot, but lanky and still had that uncoordinated look of someone who’d grown a lot and wasn’t comfortable with all their awkward limbs yet. He was staring at Gabriel desperately, a plaintive look on his face. The third was a slightly pudgy looking red head, who kept glancing between his two companions and nervously at the ground. 

None of them came close to looking like a threat and Sam stared at them in horror for a moment before burying his face in his hands. Not again.  
“Dean’s never going to let me live this down.” Sam moaned to himself.   
The girl seemed to take that as a cue.   
“Ah look, we’re really sorry. But, well, it said we had to bring something to sacrifice and you really shouldn’t leave your drink unattended.” She said primly. 

This time Sam and Gabriel shared a look that was equal parts horror and amusement.   
“Sacrifice doesn’t have to be people, you idiots.” Sam said hotly.   
For once Gabriel had to agree.   
“You know, I actually prefer candy.” Gabriel said mildly.   
The girl looked at her companions and shrugged. Right then, Gabriel decided she wasn’t getting her wish. Not that he would have done it anyway. The kind of hassle required to forge that many documents and alter computer records? Yawn. 

The tall one however. He was looking at her with just enough guilt that made Gabriel think it was probably her idea. And remembering that it was his mother he’d been asking for, Gabriel decided he’d let that one slide. That opinion was only confirmed when he turned and met Sam’s eye.   
“I really am sorry man. It’s just my mum, she’s really sick and I was desperate. She said he wouldn’t do anything too horrible, and well. She’s my mum.” He said, sounding genuinely sorry. 

“What’s you name kid?” Sam asked.  
“James.” He answered.  
“Alright James, listen to me. Find yourself some new friends. Because these ones suck.”  
Gabriel had to smother a laugh at that, but he looked up at Sam, eye’s twinkling with mirth. Sam kept going, ignoring the others protests.  
“I don’t blame you. I’d probably do the same.”  
Gabriel snorted at that one. Understatement of the century much?   
“But messing with magic is dangerous. You’re lucky you picked Loki. He’s one of the good guys.”  
That earned Sam a questioning eyebrow but he wasn’t watching Gabriel’s antics, he was doing his soulful puppy dog staring routine with the kid.  
“And for the record, anything that takes human sacrifice isn’t something you want to be dealing with.” Sam finished.   
With that Gabriel decided to regain some control over the situation.

“Alright, listen up. You two.” He pointed at the girl and the other guy. “Scram.”  
Gabriel snapped, and dumped the two on the edge of the woods several miles away. James looked startled at his friend’s disappearance, but he didn’t protest.   
“You,” Gabriel said, “You seem like a good kid. So here’s the deal. Take this.”  
Gabriel snapped again, and handed over something that looked suspiciously like a hex bag.   
“Stick this under your mum’s pillow. She’ll be up and about in no time.” Gabriel said.  
James looked down at the small bundle in his hands and then back up at the angel, looking dangerously close to tears.   
“Thank you.” He said fervently, looking at both of them.   
Sam nodded to him and Gabriel shrugged.  
“Sure thing kid. Now shoo.” Gabriel said, and smirked as James practically tripped over himself to leave. 

It left them alone in the clearing.   
“So.” Gabriel began, and Sam really didn’t like his tone. “Three teenagers. You’re slipping there Sammy.” He said, still amused.  
Sam shook his head, ashamed. He was never going to live this one down. It wasn’t even the first time he’d been caught by a few teenagers with a magic book.  
“Yeh well, rubber duck?” Sam questioned back, looking over at the offending object still sitting on the alter, trying to distract him. Apparently James hadn’t been too concerned about taking anything with him besides his prize. 

Gabriel grinned at him.   
“Who says magic can’t be fun?” He asked easily, drawing a wry smile from the hunter.   
“So what was that thing? Will it actually work?” Sam asked curiously, stretching a little on the rock. It wasn’t the most comfortable place, but he still didn’t have shoes, so for now, he was avoiding ground. Gabriel watched the movement covertly, still appreciating the view. 

“Pfft no. It’s just a tracking spell. I’ll pop over later, lay down a bit of the old whammy.” Gabriel said, wiggling his hands at Sam, who rolled his eyes. 

“Umm, Gabe?” Sam asked hesitantly, not even noticing the sudden shortening of the angels name. “Do you think you could snap me up some more clothes? And maybe some shoes?”   
“Why don’t I just send you back to whichever pathetic excuse for a motel you boys picked out?” Gabriel asked innocently.  
“Ah no,” Sam said quickly. “I mean, I don’t-“   
“Don’t want big brother seeing you like this?” Gabriel mocked.   
Sam winced and tried not to show it, but that was exactly what he was thinking. He hadn’t been gone long, if he could just get back, Dean would never have to know about this. Gabriel’s grin turned sharp as he smirked knowingly. 

“Please?” Sam begged.   
No matter what the angel did, it would be nothing compared to what Dean would be like. Gabriel decided to take pity on the hunter. He didn’t care for giving Dean any kind of amusement. He’d always liked Sam better anyway and he couldn’t resist those puppy dog eyes.   
“Fine.” Gabriel snapped, and Sam was back in his usual flannel and canvas jacket, with boots covering his bare feet. Properly clothed, Sam was finally free to stand up. He could have made the trek out without them, but having shoes was far preferable in the dark forest at night when he couldn’t see where he was going. 

“So I guess I’ll see you around?” Sam asked.   
He was strangely reluctant to say good-bye. Even though there was no reason to stick around. The anger he’d felt at the angel was replaced with a kind of begrudging acceptance. If he was being honest, he knew there was nothing Gabriel could have done to help them. In the end it had to be Sam who stopped Lucifer. And they’d never really given him a reason to think he’d be welcome if he ever came back. Not that he’d ever really given them a reason to want him to either. But Sam realised he’d kind of like the see the angel again, now that he didn’t seem to want to torture him again, and was even helping people. 

Gabriel likewise was gripped by a similar reluctance. So he shrugged and smiled, a proper genuine smile this time.   
“Sure kid. Maybe.”  
But he knew it was false. If it weren’t for this chance encounter, he’d have kept on avoiding the Winchesters, staying under the radar and out of the disasters that followed those boys around. It was unlikely their paths would cross again by accident. Sam seemed to think of the same thing.

“You got a pen?” The hunter asked.   
Gabriel raised an eyebrow which earned him an irritated look. He relented, snapping up a marker. He was surprised when Sam grabbed both it and his hand, pushing up his sleeve and scrawling a number across his wrist.  
“That’s my cell. Give us a call sometime. I know Cas would be happy to see you.” Sam said quickly, embarrassed at holding the angel’s hand.   
Gabriel looked down at the number on his arm, and back up at the hunter, taking in the hopeful expression and the hazel eyes reflecting dimly in the moonlight and smiled.   
“Sure thing kiddo.”

With a snap he was gone.


End file.
